The price was outrageous. Been on lots of cruises but our waiter was not personable and service was VERY slow. We ended up eating other places on the ship. 2 1/4 hours for dinner is way to slow. Great room steward. Ship was clean and nice but we were last cruise before it was going into dry dock. Enjoyed great room service and we just enjoyed relaxing. Did not book any shore excursions through Princess. Bonaire is a dud if you don't snorkel or dive. Curacao & Aruba were nice. Had more than enough time to see each port. Did not go to any shows. Watched a lot of movies in our cabin. We just enjoyed being lazy and watching the ocean go by from our cabin. We were looking for relaxation and good food. Luckily, the Crown has plenty of options for eating other than the main dining room. Read Less

I have never been to the ABC islands before so this itinerary appealed to me. The Crown was heading to dry dock after my cruise and it's apparent that it is needed! Everything seemed dated. The Horizon Court food was lack luster and in need of revamping the selections. The burger I had at the Trident was bland, no taste, processed flat patty, and they didn't even melt the cheese on it, just threw it on at the end. The upset stuff really gets old very quickly onboard, pushing the jewelry and art constantly. I didn't find the shows too spectacular, they were alright. The bright spot was the comedian, he was funny. The MDR was great as always, fine wait stall. I prefer the seated dining. I drove to the port and parked there also. So there was no hotel review or much in the way of traveling. Embarkation was very quick and efficient and disembarkation was ahead of schedule which is rare, so that was very quick. I did a Princess tour on each island and with the exception of being left behind at one spot (Aruba), had no other problems. Seems they didn't do head counts!! But that is why I stick to the cruise tours, in case something goes wrong. I had a bacony on Baja, which I liked for the covered balcony and no one looking down on me! I traveled solo, so no children or significant other to report on! Now that I've seen these islands, I have no need to travel there again, none I would go back to. As I said, the cabin and the public areas need upgrades, which is now being done. I did make use of the spa and as usual everyone there was very accommodating. Princess is my cruiseline of choice so once refurbished, I will no doubt go on the Crown again. Read Less

Crown Princess Review My review will highlight various areas, and hopefully you can pick and choose the options you wish to read, or read in its entirety! My hope is that it will help you. SUMMARY – This was a wonderful, relaxing cruise and offered great amenities, entertainment and was much more adult oriented. Overall, it was one of our favorite cruises because I relaxed. It was quieter and more subdued than most of the cruises I have been on, which was quite enjoyable. We both discussed that this was one of the most relaxing cruises we had been on and we thoroughly loved Princess. I would personally say that Princess is a step above some of the other lines, and the food quality is where I would say it is most noticeable. The service was always very good, and our room steward was exceptionally kind and helpful. I never felt the overcrowding that I have always noticed on prior cruises. That was exceptional. The difference between this cruise and others was truly the atmosphere. The ship was overall much quieter than other cruises we have been on with Royal, Norwegian and Carnival. I suspected that since it was over Spring Break, we might have a younger crowd, but there were only a few kids onboard. On other lines, I notice that I experience what I refer to as “sensory overload”. When the music is blaring and you cannot hold a conversation, it is just not enjoyable to me. Some people don’t mind it and love it, but I can only handle for brief periods of time. I do tend to hear background noises more than others and am unable to “tune it out!” As such, I believe that is why it is more noticeable to me. If you prefer a quieter setting, I always recommend the Havana on Carnival which is amazing, and then on Norwegian, the Haven is another incredible atmosphere. So there are options to have the same experience, but they do come at an additional cost. This was a great match for us, and I would highly recommend for certain people. PRE-HOTEL STAY – We stayed at the Hilton Fort Lauderdale Marina. We had a standard room, and it wasn’t very large, but we did enjoy a very nice view of the ship the following morning. We met up with some of our group that night, and enjoyed a nice table overlooking the Marina. We had an appetizer and drinks which were very good. It was a great place to sit outside and enjoy that evening before the cruise. I would definitely recommend due to the location. In the morning we did have room service, and the food was very good (expensive, but worth it). TRANSPORTATION TO PORT – We had arranged for a taxi, however, they didn’t arrive, so we utilized transport from the hotel which worked out well. The arrival was very busy, but the driver got us right through. EMBARKATION – Arrived at the terminal and went through the boarding process and onto the priority lounge around 11 a.m. We waited for about an hour and then were allowed to board. The rooms were ready around 1:30 p.m. SHIP – The ship was very pretty and had many beautiful, intricate details. I still personally think that Royal builds the most gorgeous interiors for ships, but Princess would come in very close. Overall, I think all of the lines have incredible ships, but the amenities are what make the differences, and that depends on what you want. SAILAWAY - This is much more subdued than any other line. I am accustomed to the line dances and hundreds of people onboard participating in the Electric Slide, Cha cha slide, Wobble, among others. This was not the case onboard Princess. I did follow the tunes of the familiar sounding music, which lead me to about 20-30 others (8 of which were Princess employees) who were doing the line dances, so I went out there with them. It was definitely fun, but very different from what I am accustomed to! GROUP CRUISE - We had a FB group set up for this trip and we enjoyed a nice get together in our cabin. It was wonderful having the chance to meet up with so many in the PCL and the Castaways group and I was thrilled to be able to host. We all made new friends on this trip. CABIN – We originally booked an aft balcony but decided to upgrade to an aft suite, and I am glad that we did. I love aft cabins at the back of the ship to look at the wake. We thoroughly enjoyed the balcony and used it every single day. I know some people don’t spend much time in their cabins, but we do, and just watching the ocean, so it was nice to have the larger balcony and beautiful view! We also held a party for our group, and everyone was comfortable inside the cabin! It was very large. The toilet and the shower were separate from one another which was also nice. It also offered a jetted bath tub. The size of the bathroom was very nice and comfortable. The beds were AMAZING. They were very comfortable to sleep in, and Princess did a nice job of selecting their new mattresses. We slept quite well. The balcony, you just can’t ask for a better view. It was fantastic. We did have some vibration in the back, but that is expected when you are in the aft. It was more noticeable on the first couple days, and then it improved. We were told some others had some loud noises on the aft area and that they had been working on it, and then it improved. That may have been why ours seemed to be less noticeable as well. IMPROVEMENT - On other lines, with suite guests, you receive extra perks, such as alcohol, wifi, specialty dining, private areas with private decks/pools/hot tubs. Although Princess does offer the suite breakfast and club class dining, I feel they lack in the “extras” for suite guests in the perks department. Given what you pay for a suite, I do believe they could add the extras in and include in the pricing to be more competitive with other lines. I’ve never heard complaints about that, but I believe most who sail on Princess tend to be very loyal to their line (for good reason) and simply haven’t experienced what other lines offer. I don’t think they necessarily need to add extra spaces for suite guests (and they do have some on the newer ships), but perks would be nice. DECK/LOUNGE CHAIRS/SPACE – This is the fantastic aspect on this cruise. You do not need to get up at the crack of dawn to save a deck chair. They have plenty! Because Princess caters to a more adult crowd, they are lacking the space utilized for waterparks, ropes courses, ice rinks, etc...on other lines. As such, there is more free flowing space. That was definitely a great attribute. SERVICE/STAFF – The staff were very kind, and I would say it was very similar to how we have been treated on other lines. I’ve always felt the staff are incredible, but I do think they were similar to my prior experiences. SANCTUARY - This was a beautiful display, and very relaxing. The area is so quiet and relaxing and beautiful. It isn’t needed for the entire trip, but it is nice to experience for one or two half days in my opinion. I would definitely do that again! STORES ONBOARD – We were very happy with the quality of the clothing and options they were selling on the ship at reasonable prices. NOROVIRUS – We were at a red level while onboard, and they were very good at passing out plates and silverware in the buffet and making sure that you used the antibacterial cleanser. CAPTAIN AND CREW They were somewhat visible during the cruise, but not like I have seen on other lines. NCL definitely had the best interaction with crew and members onboard. ROOM STEWARD Our room steward, Riz, was very nice and helpful. He talked to us and was enjoyable to be around. We felt that he did a very nice job, and was always on top of our cabin. He did request that we always use the door hanger so he knew when to come in. I think that does help them when they are cleaning so many cabins. BARTENDERS/SERVERS They have some great bartenders onboard. The aft deck, is where most people seemed to enjoy spending time because the bartenders were very interactive. At times you might have to wait, but for the most part, they were very good at keeping everyone happy. I felt they had enough staff and enough options around the ship that were open to cater to everyone. They do have some staff going around to check to see if you need a drink. POOLS There were plenty of pools, and they were never crowded or busy as I have seen on most other ships. Again, this was the highlight because of this fact. LOUNGE CHAIRS – Even on multiple sea days, you were able to find a spot. ICE CREAM - This is available for a certain period of time throughout the day, and you have to go to the counter. Most lines do offer self-serve cones/cups, but this worked out quite well. It was never a long wait, and the staff were very friendly. ENTERTAINMENT We attended the comedy show and it was hysterical, definitely one of the best comedians we have seen. He packed the house when everyone knew he was coming back. Many people went to multiple shows because he interacted with the crowd. We were told they had some incredible shows. CASINO We only visited once, and we always take a pre-set limit. I won back what we were willing to lose and then left. PORTS - This trip was scheduled to visit Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao, which were FANTASTIC islands. I was initially concerned about 4 sea days, but they were wonderful. Aruba – Aruba Trykes. This was likely the highlight of our excursions, we enjoyed this tour tremendously. We booked outside of Princess following a recommendation. We were taken on a guided tour for appx 4 hrs. The cost was $190 for the two of us, which I felt was very reasonable for the amount of time we spent, and the quality of the trykes we were on. They offer auto and manual trykes, so you need to pre-request what you want when you book. We saw so much while we were in Aruba and I would love to return. If you book this, I recommend that you do NOT wear a hat, but something you can tie onto your head. A hat can fly off easily given the speeds. It was a lot of fun!! Bonaire – We opted for a Princess tour on the Tuk Tuk, which is an electric vehicle. We took a tour around the island for about an hour. The guide was very nice, and she showed us various areas around the island. This is definitely the snorkelers and divers paradise. It was an enjoyable tour. Curacao – We walked around the shops, the island and over the swaying bridge. Then when we returned, we had gone to the Renaissance and booked a resort for a day direct through them when we arrived. We were able to actually book a room because they had availability. It was wonderful. We laid out on the beach by the ocean/pool during the afternoon and did enjoy a small appetizer and some drinks, it was very nice and relaxing. SPA We both had a massage and it was nice. For the cost, I would have gone four times to my normal massage therapist. It was nice, but not spectacular. GYM They have a very nice gym and it was well equipped and there were multiple classes each day. Some of the instructors were very motivating!! FOOD This is where Princess wins. We were very impressed with the food. I will say that we tend to do room service, and that food was consistently hot and served quickly. We cannot eat all the food they serve. The waiter in fact said that I was not on a wellness cruise and to eat more. I explained that I’d weigh 600 lbs if I ate what they served! However, they definitely give you far too much food. We needed half of the servings provided. We did specialty restaurants and club class dining and the buffet Salty Dog – This was hands down our FAVORITE. Others didn’t care for it, but we LOVED it. We had the tomato soup with grilled cheese, and the burger (no toppings/no bread). The initial appetizer of pretzel with a butter/garlic was incredible. This is one I would absolutely return to! Crown Grill – I was impressed with the speed of service because they were quite busy. We both had filet mignon, baked potato and smores dessert. It was very good, the meat was a tad dry, but everything was flavored well and I would recommend. Sabatinis – Again, I was impressed with the service and that they were able to move people in and out relatively quickly. Ordered manicotti only, told them I could just not eat four different options! They just provide far too much food! Club Class dining – this was very nice, our wait staff was quite good, and with my food allergies, they were very attentive like the other lines. That was greatly appreciated. The food in the dining was all very good, we were very pleased. We did not eat in the main dining room, but we did go to the buffet a couple times each for breakfast and for dinner. It was all very good. I just had meat and mashed potatoes and the turkey and roast beef were incredibly prepared and the potatoes were INCREDIBLE!! The food was definitely better quality on this cruise than some we have been on. CRUISE DIRECTOR – I am accustomed to having a very energetic cruise director who thrives on involving the crowd. Due to the vibe of this cruise, that was definitely not a priority. The role of a CD seems a little less important, and that was fine. INTERNET – this was about my only complaint. It’s horrible. I always work during vacation, and I simply could not respond to clients. I couldn’t access emails, I couldn’t load documents, it was very troubling. I finally did make my complaint to the internet manager, and he was very kind and worked with me given what I had spent to try to access. I’ve never had such an issue onboard, but they assured me that once the Medallion is added, it will improve dramatically. When you are an agent, not having internet access is simply not an option, so they do need to improve in this arena. DISEMBARKATION We had the luggage express, so we were one of the first to disembark. There was no line, we simply walked off, walked through customs and found a taxi. It was impressive to say the least! NCL and Princess have been the best as far as disembarkation in my mind. Good points on the Crown -The ship is smaller in size, it has sufficient pools and deck space for all to enjoy -This was one of the smoothest sailings I have been on - The specialty restaurants are amazing - Our comedian was one of the best I have ever seen. - Food even in the buffet was extremely good and well presented. I felt they were a few notches up in this department compared to other buffets on cruise lines - We didn’t attend many of the shows, but everyone raved about them - Deck chairs for movies under the stars are the BEST. They have pillows and offer towels and blankets and popcorn. That was really nice! - Points to improve upon: - Getting around the ship was a bit challenging since all of the decks don’t go through - Internet – awful - There was an altercation onboard the ship between an older couple and the man pushed his wife, and then pushed another lady who attempted to intervene. I was shocked that Princess did not remove the couple from the ship. That seemed very concerning to me for the safety of others. THINGS I LEARNED Go with an open mind. Do not try to pre-schedule everything, go with the flow and see what you want to do and ENJOY!! Do something new and different that you normally wouldn’t do. Personally, a suite was not worth it to me on Princess. In the future, I will opt for an aft balcony and do the specialty restaurants instead. For us, there weren’t enough inclusions for the additional cost, although it worked out perfectly for our party with everyone. I do not regret trying it out at all, but I may not splurge in the future for a suite on Princess, I would on another line just because the separated space IS needed. On Princess it just isn’t. But I do like to get the extra perks from other lines with the suite booking. So next time I will save some money and stay with my aft cabin. In summary, we purchased a future cruise certificate and plan to return to Princess in the future. Read Less

Wanted to take my son and his family on a snorkling cruise. Chose Princess because of the island choices. Aruba, Bonaire and Curaçao were exactly what I wanted. This cruise did not disappoint! The ship is not a mega ship. The rooms were smaller than we expected. Crew was great. Dining room wait staff was phenomenal! Bonaire had the best snorkling ever. We took a cab to Coco Beach. Public beach with beach chair rentals. More fish than we expected. Parrot fish, angel fish and even barracuda. Eye to eye with a barracuda was an exciting experience! Aruba..we took a ship excursion to DePalm island. $99 per person but a bus from the ship to the ferry..then breakfast, drinks (alcoholic and non alcoholic) were included. Lunch..sit down with lots of sides and dessert. Also, hamburgers and fries or hot dogs at the beachside. There was ziplining, banana boat ride, bungee jumping, snorkling, water slide park for the little ones with lifeguards. Lots of sun or shade. Curacao took a cab to Mambo beach. It is at a resort. Cab was $2.50 per person. Beautiful beach. Lots of nice shops in the city of Curacao. Days at sea were relaxing. Little ones wished there was a waterslide but took advantage of the kids camp and arts and crafts. They loved the first run movies under the stars. Best food out of any cruiseline we have travelled. Beds were new. The ship is now in drydock. Had a blast! Would definitely do this trip again! Read Less

Cruise was great. Hats off to Keith and Karen for planning our meet and greet, cabin crawl, and slot pull! These activities made our cruise even more enjoyable. Met many great people. The entertainment in the theater was the best of any cruise we have taken. Corey and company were very approachable. Saw the Captain out and about on the ship and he would always stop and talk with us. Our early dining DaVinci wait staff were outstanding. Milos and Ben table 459 were great. We had dinner in Crown Grill for our anniversary which was a nice surprise, but service was a bit shaky. My sea bass was delicious! My friends steak (ribeye). Was very tough. She was given a new steak, but it came on a plain plate without the sauce that was described on the menu. Dessert sampler was good but took over 15-20 minutes to arrive. I had lemon meringue pie that was wonderful. Read Less

We chose this cruise because we had never visited Aruba, Bonaire, or Curacao and had heard good things about them. We thoroughly enjoyed our visit on each island and found that each had distinctive personalities bound together by a similar Dutch influence. We would visit again in a heartbeat! The weather was perfect! Highest temperature was 81 degree and very low humidity. Ideal! The Crown Princess was our choice for the itinerary, price, and prior experience on Princess cruises. We prefer the non-waterslide and not kid-focused ships. We found the food delicious with a variety of choices and the staff was highly professional and always accommodating! The entertainment was incredible-Broadway quality, amazing talent, and an excellent variety of offerings. In addition to all of the shows in the Princess theatre, we thoroughly enjoyed A.J.Clarke, an unbelievably talented pianist and singer. Catch him on request night if you can! Disembarkations was a breeze! Embarkation would have been the same, but the Coast Guard decided to hold up everyone for some inspection. Definitely was not Princess" fault! My husband and I would love to take this cruise again, so that speaks to how much we enjoyed the ABC's and Princess. Read Less

I traveled with my mom, who has mobility issues. We both wanted good food, good entertainment, and we weren't interested in a party atmosphere, so from our research the Princess line seemed to fit the bill. We hit upon an excellent deal on a mini-suite, and so we booked a cruise on the Crown Princess from March 11-16. Embarkation was great. I indicated in advance that my mom would require wheelchair assistance for embarkation and disembarkation and everything went smoothly. We had no complaints whatsoever about the food. From the buffet to the main dining room to the Specialty restaurant (Sabatini's) we enjoyed every meal. The service was outstanding, particularly at Afternoon Tea (which we enjoyed twice). We did one excursion, the Panoramic City Tour with lunch and swimming at Cabarete beach in Puerto Plata - and it exceeded our expectations. It was well-organized, the bus was comfortable, and the driver and tour guide were excellent. The driver waited patiently for us as we were always the last to get off, and my mom's walker was stowed carefully each time we boarded the bus. At the beach we had lots of time to relax and swim, lunch was great, and the price was right - the 6-hour tour with lunch was only $39 USD. On the ship we enjoyed a movie under the stars (The Greatest Showman) which was a lot of fun, and we saw the funniest comedian I've ever seen live, (and I'm from Montreal where we know comedy) Steve Caouette. I wish we had been able to see and do more but five days goes fast, and before we knew it it was over. There were only two blemishes during the whole week, and they were toward the end of the cruise. On the last full day on our way to afternoon tea we learned that someone forgot to unlock the 6th floor elevator, and by the time we found someone to unlock it we were late for tea. Not a big deal but it kind of threw us off schedule. The biggest negative was on disembarkation day. We were told to go to the Vines wine bar for 7:30 AM. to wait for wheelchair assistance. In the meantime I got us breakfast at the International Café and as I was doctoring my coffee I put the empty sugar packets on the counter and was promptly scolded by one of the staff in the specialty coffee section. He then went to the trouble to point out the small tin garbage receptacle on the counter, threw my used spoon dramatically into a buss tub, and picked up and slammed the garbage tin on the counter and said "Garbage!" very loudly for emphasis. This was obviously a person who was overtired and stressed, and I hope he takes some time off soon to recharge. I was tired, too, after a week of travelling with a disabled person. I didn't need drama in the last hour of a vacation that was two years in the planning. Overall a great cruise and we're already planning our next one - we'd sail with Princess again in a heartbeat. Read Less

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We chose the Crown Princess because our experience in November on Carnival was so awful and because the service on Royal Caribbean (our former favorite cruise line) is so lacking. We are so glad we tried Princess! First of all, I am not sure why there are several negative reviews regarding this ship and the staff. Every single person we encountered was friendly and smiling. All greeted us and made us feel welcomed and we got the feeling that they truly enjoyed their jobs. Especially wonderful were: Dario the ice-cream scooper, Roman the internet specialist, Betelguese in the Horizon Buffett, and Kenneth at the roulette table in the casino. What a happy, kind, caring bunch of employees! First, the bad (though it really wasn't bad at all): luggage drop-off in Ft. Lauderdale is very different from Port Canaveral. One must maneuver the luggage and oneself across three lanes of stopped traffic (because everyone is dropping off luggage) to get to the porter. They do not come to you, they stay in the shade. Then you park and have to walk through that loop of cars again to get in the building. We parked in Terminal 19, boarded at Terminal 19, but after the cruise the ship docked at Terminal 2. There was a very long line to get on the buses to take us to the parking garage and the lines were not moving. We opted for a taxi at a cost of $7.70 (we were 1.5 miles away at the other terminal). Because we felt bad for the driver, getting such a small fare, we gave him a $20. The driver told us this happens a lot at the port and I'm not sure why since the Crown was the only ship returning that Friday morning. Everything else was simply perfect. The muster drill was held in a lounge, so we got to sit instead of being crammed against a wall with sweaty bodies. Our cabin, C734, had the most comfortable bed and pillows and the coldest A/C. That deck has larger balconies and I thought it would be weird that everyone could see us and that we could see them. It wasn't. Everyone was just so jovial. The entertainment on the ship was the best of any of the 12 cruises we had been on previously. The magician astounded. The comedian had us rolling. The movies shown were first-run: The Greatest Showman, Three Billboards Outside of Ebbing, Missouri, The Shape of Water, League of Justice. There was free popcorn, cozy blankets, and pads on the chairs with little pillows. One night there was stargazing and those interested were invited to Deck 17 Forward. The lights were turned off and the location of constellations identified. This was so much fun. Also, on the last full morning, there was a cooking show and it was hysterical. This was followed by a galley tour, completely free. The food was delicious. Our son gifted us with "Breakfast on the Balcony" and the steward came exactly at the time we requested and made it so beautiful with a tablecloth, champagne, coffee, salmon, quiche, pastries, and fruit. It was all just beautifully presented and it was private since that giant balcony also had an overhang. Most of the other passengers were a bit older, even though we went at the height of spring break. Everyone was polite and happy and just having a good time, just like us! In Amber Cove we were lucky enough to reserve an over the water cabana. It was the best day...so relaxing and the water so refreshing. If we go back to this port, we would definitely do this again. In Grand Turk, we rented ATV's to tour the island. It was not as advertised since we were supposed to go the a lighthouse for pictures and stop at a replica of John Glen's capsule. We didn't. However, we would do this excursion again because riding the ATV's was so much fun. They clean the helmets with Lysol. I saw it happen! This is one of the few times where we were sad that the vacation was ending. We were not ready to get off of this lovely ship. Our loyalty is now to Princess Cruises. We would have booked another cruise onboard, but the incentive wasn't as great as we had hoped. Read Less

Be careful what you purchase at the Lotus Spa on Princess Cruises for services. I went for a pedicure and ended up with a rash that was oozing on both arms because the technician tried to sell me a cactus brush. The brush was used on my arms and on previous passengers....GROSS. Beware of the up-sell. It is not a relaxing experience when cream and cactus brushes are being shoved down your throat to purchase. My husband went to the gym and he was the only one wiping down the machines before and after use...GROSS. We were on a Caribbean cruise (Crown Princess). The shore excursions were wonderful. The ship stopped in Amber Cove, DR and Grand Turk. The embarkation and disembarkation process went very smoothly. Long story short: great cruise but bad spa experience. Otherwise it was a wonderful cruise. The food, entertainment and service were great. We will take another Princess Cruise. We just won't go to the spa. Read Less